Goals

The first step in any strategic communication effort is clearly defining your objective. Think of it as a destination, a specific spot on the map.

Until you put a pin in your goal and identify its precise coordinates, you won’t be able to chart the right course for getting there. A goal statement should be simple and unambiguous. The more qualifiers you include, the more muddled and lost you will become when you begin the hard work of achieving it.

Your goal should also be realistic and aligned with your available capacity, resources and time. Solving world hunger might be an over reach. Delivering 100 hot meals per night to homeless veterans in your community might not. The real question you need to consider is how will your communication efforts help to substantively advance the objective.

When setting your goal think long and hard about the ultimate social change you are seeking and the specific ways that your communication activities will complement the programmatic work required to get you there.

Determining “how much success is necessary” is clearer for corporations whose break even point is based on bottom line costs. This question may not occur to a nonprofit with a mission based on an ongoing progressive vision. Success for nonprofits can be incremental. As such, it‘s important to gauge the level of achievement needed to ensure long-term success. Source

Voices

In this day and age, often communication is the work.Executive LeaderPrivate Foundation

Without communication we cannot advance our public policy objectives or raise the dollars we need. Communication is central to our strategy. It is a programmatic lever that we use early and often.Board MemberNonprofit

I’ve seen people who embrace communication but don't really get it. They want to make a snazzy video but haven't really thought it through. Why? What is the purpose? Who is the audience? Program LeaderPrivate Foundation

our positionMore people than ever understand the value of strategic communication.

The research gathered during the Communication Matters project, and shared in
this website, reflects a broad consensus that communications must be embraced as
an integral strategy for every organization seeking to advance social change.

We now believe the main challenge underlying the lack of effective communications
at many organizations is no longer about getting the importance of communications.
The opportunity lies in doing more effective communications.

methodology

From the outset of the Communication Matters project our objective was to cast a wide net and collect as many informed opinions as possible. We achieved this goal in several ways:

Formed an advisory group of communication professionals from private foundations, community foundations and nonprofits

Put out a call through the Network for “best in class” examples

Searched and reviewed the literature

Facilitated two online forums, one with communication professionals and one with program professionals

Broadly disseminated an online survey, with special outreach to CEOs, executive directors and program leaders